Thank you Jenny Craig for sponsoring this post. Tried other diets? It’s time for Jenny Craig!
Growing up in an Asian culture, most of the time our family is direct in how they perceive another family member even if it sounds offensive. And I was always the skinniest kid growing up – it was common for family members to tell me I was too skinny and that I needed to eat more. They would feed me whatever fast food or junk food they could to help me gain weight, and by the time I was a teenager, I had no sense of nutrition or eating right.
As a teenager, I was then told I was getting chubby by my family and that I needed to lose weight. Isn’t it ironic that the very same people who told me I was too skinny were now telling me I was getting to be too fat. It was tough, because some of their comments were so hurtful even though I know they would tell me they were sharing it out of love. I went through stages of either not eating breakfast, or not eating at all on some days. And then I would find myself starving and eating in glutton soon after. I was extreme yoyo dieting, and I had no idea what I was doing.
I became a mom at the age of seventeen. When you couple teen pregnancy with unhealthy lifestyle and eating habits, it pushed me further away from the right way to diet and exercise. I didn’t take care of myself before I got pregnant, while I was pregnant, and postpartum was a struggle emotionally after I realized that my body will never be the same again. From stretch marks to stretched, saggy skin – I was in complete and utter shock looking in the mirror.
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My diet from ages eighteen through twenty-five consisted of meal planning, portion control, fitness apps, more yoyo dieting, detoxing, diet pills, working out at home, working out at the gym, constant sugar and high carb binges, skipping breakfast, skipping meals, and whatever diet fad I came across that I hoped would work on me. I would constantly drop a significant amount of weight quickly but then gain it all back and more.
Once I became an adult and started working for a corporation, I became an emotional eater that constantly ate whatever bad food I could get my hands on when I was stressed. And after my last two pregnancy complications that included pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension and gestational diabetes, my health and weight started to become a concern to my doctors. They shared that being overweight creates health issues and the problems I had during my pregnancies could come back. And they did – one by one, hypertension returned and I’ve become pre-diabetic.
I was so tired of living this way, this lifestyle was not healthy for me. I have four children and I don’t want my health to affect my ability to enjoy experiencing motherhood and an active lifestyle with my children. I needed professional help, structure, and accountability. And as a busy mom, I needed direction and food that was ready to heat up and go.
When I was approached to consider the Jenny Craig program, I read everything I could to make an informed decision. When I read their values and what they offered, it was like they were speaking directly to me and my prayers were answered. This was exactly the kind of program a busy mom like me needed and I didn’t waste another second partnering with them on this ambassadorship.
Getting started was super quick and easy – I literally made an appointment the day before and met with my consultant for the first time the next day. We spent about 45-minutes together discussing goals, inspirations, meal planning, questions, weigh-in to begin tracking my weight and putting together my very first week of food. I truly believe having a consultant who gets right down to business is critical in any person’s weight loss success. It’s like having a mentor for your weight loss.
I’ve made a commitment to making a healthy change once and for all. And I made a vow to stick to the program and learn to maintain all the weight I lose. With the spring season warming things up and as we prepare for the hot summer months here in Las Vegas, I know I’ve got to stick to a weight loss plan in order to look and feel my best. I know it’s different this time, because I have personally made the decision to change and I’m doing it for myself and to set a good example for my family on proper nutrition, portion control, and fitness.
My hope is that my weight loss and lifestyle change will encourage other moms who seek change to get the help they need. And together ‘It’ Moms can continue our vow to stand out! What are some of your lifestyle changes that you need or want to change? Be sure to share it in the comments below.
Thank you Jenny Craig for sponsoring this post. Tried other diets? It’s time for Jenny Craig
This post was sponsored by Jenny Craig and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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